Dumping device for wheel excavators



l114mb 25, 1947.

P. s. lSTEVENS DUMPING DEVICE FDRYWHEEL EXCAVATORS Filed sept. 10, 1945 s sneetvsfsneet 1 A I IN VEN TOR afjmff 'I wm,

ATTRNEX March 25, 1947. p, s STEVENS 2,417,846

DUMPING DEVICE FOR WHEEL EXCAVATORS Filed Sept. l0, 1945 A 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR,

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Anale/mf March 25, 1947.l P s, STVENS 2,417,846

DUMPING DEVICE FOR WHEEL` EXCAVATORS Filed Sept. l0, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Amie/mf.

Patented Mar. 25, 1947 1; NED STATS DUMPING DEVICE FR WHEEL EXCAVA'EORS Application September 10, 19d5, Serial No. 615,434

13 Claims. l

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in dumping devices for wheel excavators.

The wheel excavator is a highly specialized, but well-known, form of excavator.

The wheel of such a machine is usually mounted on the end or a boom or ladden and carries a series of digging buckets on its periphery. In al1 variants, these buckets dig as they move forward and/or upward with the revolution of the wheel. In some variants, they dump as they move downward after passing through their highest position. In other variants, the buckets have a spiral configuration which forces the excavated dirt out sidewise, either directly or through a hollow axle of the wheel. In most variants, the buckets dump onto a rearwardly moving conveyor-belt.

For such a machine, see the copending application o Werner Lehman for retracting device for wheel excavators, Serial No, 534,033, led May 4, 1944.

One of the most perplexing problems in designing a wheel excavator lies in designing an emcient dumping device for the buckets thereof.

My wheel excavator is built in two alternative forms.

In my iirst form, the buckets are spiral in ccniiguration, and hence tend to discharge their contents laterally. This lateral discharge is, however, prevented by a fixed sector oi a disc, parallel to the wheel which supports the buckets; this is known as a guard plate. Thus when each bucket reaches the upper edge of this guard plate,

in approaching the top of the circle of travel of the buckets, its contents can spill laterally.

In my second form, the buckets are not spiral in configuration; but somewhat the same effect is attained by my mounting my buckets on one face of a disc-like wheel near the periphery thereof, and by providing on the same face of this disc a rotating central conical irustum (known as the cone) within the circle of buckets, The inner end of each bucket is open, but these open ends engage, and are closed by the surface of a xed central cylindrical sector (known as the plug), extending along the up-l ward path of the buckets. This plug may be supplemented by a guard plate, somewhat similar to that of my iirst variant. Thus when each bucket reaches the upper end of this sector, in approaching the top of the circle of travel of the buckets, its contents can spill radially inwardly, to be then deflected laterally by the cone.

In each form, there are necessitated two sluicing plates, one lengthwise, the other transverse, with respect to the conveyor belt, both of these plates slanting steeply to direct excavated material onto the belt. The lengthwise sluicing plate starts where the buckets emerge from the closure eiected by the plug and/or the guard plate. The transverse sluicing plate, in the plugand-cone variant, supplements the cone and has practically the same slope; in the other variant, it starts somewhat lower down.

In both variants it is desirable from considerations of both strength and lightness of the supporting ladder, to have the axle of the diggingwheelextend clear across the ladder, and to have the pivotal support of the outer end of the lad-der be coaxial with this axle.

Initially the belt was built running below this axle. rIhis necessitated locating the lengthwise sluicing plate above and to the rear of this axle. But this location of this plate introduced the following dilemma: either a late (i. e., high) emergence of the buckets from the plug and/or the guard plate, which did no-t give the buckets time to dump; or a non-steep slope to the lengthwise sluicing plate, which caused the excavated material (especially when more or less sticky) to build up thereon, thus finally stopping the flow of material.

To omit the portion of the axle which extended across above the belt, was not a satisfactory solution, for this necessitated a compensating strengthening of construction, which introduced too much dead weight.

To locate the belt above the axle solved the above dilemma, but introduced a new difficulty, for now the transverse sluicing plate had to be made less steep, thus causing a build-up of excavated material thereon.

In view of all the foregoing, the principal object of my invention is to devise a, simple expedient to extricate the design from the above-described impasse.

My solution consists in lo-cating the belt above the axle of the digging wheel, starting the lengthwise sluicing plate well before the top of the wheel (or omitting this plate altogether), and suppleinenting the transverse sluicing plate with at least one conveying-roller to prevent a build-up of material on this plate.

, In addition to my principal objects, above stated, I have worked out a number of novel and useful details, which will be readily evident as the description progresses.

My invention consists in the novel parts and in the combination and arrangement thereof,

which are dened in the appended claims, and of which one embodiment is exemplied in the accompanying drawings, which are hereinafter particularly described and explained.

Throughout the description the same reference number is applied to the same member or to similar members.

Figure l is a side elevation of my complete excavator, somewhat conventionalized, together with a dotted showing of my wheel and some associated parts in three additional positions.

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the wheel and associated parts of the spiral variant of my invention.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same, taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 are corresponding elevations of the plug-and-cone variant of my invention.

Referring now to Figure 1, we see that Il is the main propelling base of my excavator. Mounted thereon, for 360 swing, is a turntable I2, carrying a superstructure o-r A-frame I3.

Pivoted to the A-frame at I 4, and projecting rearwardly (i. e., to the left in the picture), there is a stacker-ladder I5. A mast lIE is pivoted on the rear of the turntable I2, and is held by a suspension-line ll.

By means of a ladder-hoist line I 8, proceeding, from a winch i8 on the turntable, over appropriate sheaves on the A-frame, mast, and stacker-ladder, the stacker-ladder may be raised and lowered.

A long conveyor belt 20 extends from the front of the machine at 2| past appropriate jointing at I4, to the rear end of the stacker-ladder. This belt may, if desired, be provided with an appropriate intermediate unloader (not shown) Wellknown in the art. The belt can be actuated by a motor 29a, or any other convenient means.

Pivoted on the front of the A-frame is another mast 22, with its suspension-line 23.

A digging-ladder 2li is pivoted at its rear end to a carriage 25, capable of sliding backward and forward on a track in the A-rame.

The digging-ladder 2 carries at its outer end a digging-wheel 26, which may be of either of the two hereinafter described types. The digging-ladder also carries a conveyor-belt 2. There is a hopper 28, for guiding the dirt, delivered ol the rear end of belt 2l', onto the other belt, 2D.

A saddle-block 29 is pivoted on the upper end of mast 22. Through this saddle-block there slides Wishbone Sil, the lower forked end of Which is attached to and supports the outer end of boom 2d.

A hoist line 3l passes from a winch 32 on the turntable I2, over sheaves 33 at the upper end of mast 22, and sheaves 34 on the Wishbone 3a, to raise and lower the Wishbone.

By rotating the turntable I2, shifting the carriage 25, and raising and lowering the Wishbone 30, the wheel traverses the face of the cut in three dimensions.

Turning now to Figures 2 and 3, let us consider the dumping mechanism of the first variant of my invention.

Shaft 35 for wheel 26 is journaled in the lower ends ofthe fori; of Wishbone 30.

`Wheel 26 comprises a series of successive buckets 36, spiral in configuration so as to tend to discharge the excavated material laterally (to the right in Figure 2). But a guard plate 37, in the form of a xed sector of a disc, held rigidly Vby the ladder 24, prevents this discharge from any given bucket until said bucket has reached the upper edge of this guard plate, at which point there is located a lengthwise sluicing plate 38, slanting downwardly and rearwardly (to the right in Figure 3). There is also a transverse sluicing plate 39, which in cooperation with the lengthwise sluicing plate 31 guides the laterally discharged material rearwardly and laterally toward the belt 2l. This motion is assisted by at least one roller 4D, which is constantly rotated by any convenient means (clockwise as shown in Figure 2) Turning now to Figures 4 and 5, let us now consider the dumping mechanism of the second variant of my invention.

As before, shaft 35 is journaled in the lower ends of the fork of Wishbone 30; but this shaft now carries a slightly different Wheel 26a.

Wheel 26a comprises a cone 4l, and a series of successive spaced peripheral buckets 36a, not spiral in configuration, but rather open radially inward, so as to tend to discharge the excavated material inwardly. But a plug 132, inthe form of cylindrical sector, supplemented by a guard plate Sla, in the form of a xed sector of a disc, both held rigidly by the ladder 2Q, prevents this discharge from any given bucket until said bucket has reached the upper edge of the plug 42, at which point there is located a lengthwise sluicing plate 38a, slanting downwardly and rearwardly. 'There is also a transverse sluicing plate 39a, which in cooperation with the cone 4I guides the inwardly discharged material laterally toward the belt 2. This motion is assisted by at least one roller fill, as in my first variant. Plate 39a also serves to scrape sticky material from the cone 4 I.

Having now described and illustrated two forms of my invention, I wish it to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts herein described and shown.

I claim:

l. In a wheel excavator, the combination of: a main frame; a ladder, supported by said frame; a conveyor-belt, extending lengthwise of said ladder; a digging wheel, located alongside the belt at the outer end of the ladder with its axis transverse of the ladder; a series of digging buckets, carried peripherally by the wheel, each of said buckets having an opening for dumping towards the conveyor-belt; a xed closure for said dumping openings, carried by the ladder, and extending throughout a portion of the upward path of the buckets; a sluicing plate, the top of which is located adjacent the wheel, substantially throughout the dumping portion of the bucket cycle, said plate slanting downward transversely toward the conveyor-belt; and a driven roller, supplementing said plate, and extending lengthwise of the elt.

2. A wheel excavator, according to claim 1, further characterized by the fact that the axle of the wheel extends across the ladder below the upper reach of the conveyor-belt.

3. A Wheel excavator, according to claim 1, further characterized by the fact that the axle of the wheel extends across the ladder below the upper reach of the conveyor-belt, and that the outer end of the ladder is pivotally supported by the frame on an axis coaxial with the axle of the wheel.

4. A wheel excavator, according to claim 1, further characterized by having a lengthwise sluicing plate, the top of which is adjacent the 5. In a Wheel excavator, the combination of:

a main frame; a ladder, supported by said frame; a conveyor-belt, extending lengthwise of said ladder; a digging wheel, located alongside the belt at the outer end of the ladder` with its axis transverse of the ladder; a series of digging buckets, carried peripherally by the wheel, each of said buckets having a spiral configurationy opening laterally toward the conveyor-belt; a xed closure for said dumping openings, carried by the ladder, and extending throughout a portion of the upward path of the buckets, said closure comprising a guard plate parallel to the wheel; a sluicing plate, the top of which is located adjacent the wheel substantially throughout the dumping portion of the bucket cycle, said plate slanting downward transversely toward the conveyor-belt; and a driven roller, supplementing said plate, and extending lengthwise of the belt.

6. A wheel excavator, according to claim 5, further characterized by the fact that the axle of the wheel extends across the ladder below the upper reach of the conveyor-belt.

7. A wheel excavator, according to claim 5, further characterized by the fact that the axle of the wheel extends across the ladder below the upper reach of the conveyor-belt, and that the outer end of the ladder is pivotally supported by the frame on an axis coaxial with the axle of the Wheel.

8. A wheel excavator, according to claim 5, further characterized by having a lengthwise sluicing plate, the top of which is adjacent the upper end of the iixed closure, said plate slanting steeply downward and rearward lengthwise of the conveyor-belt.

9. In a wheel excavator, the combination of: a main frame; a ladder, supported by said frame;

a conveyor-belt extending lengthwise of said ladder; a digging wheel, located alongside the belt at the outer end of the ladder with its axis transverse of the ladder; a series of digging buckets, carried peripherally by the wheel, each of said buckets having an inward radial opening for dumping towards the conveyor-belt; a conical frustum, carried by the wheel within the circle of buckets, the small end of this frustum extending toward the conveyor-belt; a xed closure for said dumping openings, carried by the ladder, and extending throughout a portion of the upward path of the buckets, said closure comprising a segmental cylindrical surface; a sluicing plate, the top of which is located adjacent the wheel substantially throughout the dumping portion of the bucket cycle, said plate slanting downward transversely toward the conveyor-belt with substantially the same slope as the frustum, and having an opening to receive a portion of the frustum; and a driven roller, supplementing said plate, and extending lengthwise of the belt.

10. A wheel excavator, according to claim 9, further characterized by having a xed segmental guard plate, parallel to the wheel, and suppleinenting the cylindrical segment as a closure for the buckets.

11. A Wheel excavator, according to claim 9, further characterized by the fact that the axle of the wheel extends across the ladder below the upper reach of the conveyor-belt.

12. A wheel excavator, according to claim 9, further characterized by the fact that the axle of the wheel extends across the ladder below the .upper reach of the conveyor-belt, and that the outer end of the ladder is pivotally supported by the frame on an axis coaxial with the axle of 

